A Scattering Of Hearts
by LostProcess
Summary: Sora is the best mercenary money can buy. So what happens when the king aquires his service with only a look? SoRiku.
1. Chapter 1

Ja ne minna-san! Oops...I mean...Hello everybody! This is the first story that I've ever planned out, so let's cross our fingers and perform a hope jutsu...Wow, completely wrong category.

**Axel**: ...What are you talking about?

**Tobi:** Ummm, Naruto.

**Axel**: Well, this is Kingdom Hearts—got it memorized?

**Tobi**: Oh please, this is no time for you to be acting in character.....got it memorized?

**Axel**:................Get to the story already.

**Tobi**: Fine.

Sorry about that. He's officially invaded my room(no seriously, there are posters everywhere), so expect to hear more from him.

What?...Oh! The story! Here you go!

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It was a cool fall day, a day where the sun stood in frozen beauty over the world, basking everything in its cold warmth. Below the sun were the clouds, hanging like beads of sweat hang when they are about ready to drop off of someone's forehead. And even further below those was a steady wind providing a sheet of discomfort to those standing still. And yet still further down was a figure with deep brunette hair lying under a tree, casually chewing on a piece of grass.

The figure just happened to by a kid in the fifteen-year-old region. He wore baggy clothes that would sway when he walked, and most of what he wore was black. The end of a key rested in a necklace that rested on his chest. Next to this mysterious teen lay a sword shaped like a key, a sword that forged his reputation. His name was Sora, and without a doubt, he was the best mercenary one could hire.

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Sora looked once again at the crumpled-up piece of paper, the message on it barely readable:

Town attacked by gigantic heartless.

Authorities have failed to apprehend

this criminal. Townspeople will give

500 munny reward to whoever

eliminates the heartless.

" Man, I can't believe this reward." Sora turned the blade of grass he was holding in his mouth, " I don't get why anyone would expect people to save them for that." His dark mood lightened. " But, that does mean I'll be able to see old man Sid again!" He picked himself up off of the grass and picked up his sword, swinging it deftly into its holder on his back. He took a minute to stretch his muscles, and then headed towards the village.

As he walked, Sora started to formulate a plan of attack in his mind. If it was a big heartless, the only thing he needed to do was strike a big blow, right? But then again, if his attack was too crazy, he could further destroy the village. He needed to come up with a good plan.

The ground below him eventually started to turn into cobblestones, and pretty soon he started to see houses appearing in the distance. Faint light shone from the houses, as if they all had they're eyes upon him. _Strange....why would people have their homes lit up when it's still daytime_, he thought. He continued to walk down into the town, and was met with a bustling marketplace. Shops and vendors were strewn about the edges the street, as if they had been shoved aside by some powerful force. Suddenly, he realized he was hungry.

He walked along through the vendors. Apples: 2 munny! a sign read. Behind the table was a lady wrapped in a bright red shawl. She stared at him, and held her hand out to him invitingly as he passed; he merely shook his head. He walked a bit more, encircling the entire marketplace. Seeing nothing else that he wanted, he returned back to the apple vendor. Set beneath a large tent was a long table stacked with heaps of ripe fruit. As he walked up, he could hear a conversation going on. Not wanting to disrupt anything, he leaned against the side of the tent.

"I tell you, I only heard it this morning." This wasn't the voice of the seller. Sora peered around the tent, and saw that the voice belonged to a man of his mid forties. He had on plain clothes, and every so often, he would reach up and pull his hair over to the side, obviously self conscious of his balding head.

"Tell me, what is the latest news." This was the woman's voice. It seemed to be velvet, sliding over Sora's ear like the sun slides over the clouds .

"Well, you and I both know that information comes with a price." Sora could imagine him leaning over the table.

"You're right." He heard a clunk. " Now, tell me what I want to know."

"First, how much've you got?" His tone was greedy. Sora realized the man was a rat.

"That's 50 munny in there. Now spill your guts yourself so I don't have to."

"Alright. Apparently the recent--" he spat out the word 'heartless' "attacks have gotten the attention of the King--"

"The King?!" Sora noticed that more than a few people turned their heads to see what was going on.

"Keep down. Do you want anyone else to hear this information?"

"No, you're right again. Please continue."

"Like I was saying, the King's gotten interested. So interested that I hear he's sending his cousin to our town."

"The King's cousin, coming _here_?" Their voices were barely more than whispers now. Sora had to strain to hear what they were saying.

"Yes, and even more important..." the bag clunked again.

"...Even more important, I heard that he left the royal palace two weeks ago."

"But....it only takes a week and a half to get here from there...Oh! Then he's here?"

"Yes, but no one knows _where_ in _here _he is. I've said too much for the munny you're offering me. Have a nice day." Sora glanced again just in time to catch the man leaving while stuffing a bag in his shirt. _So the King's cousin is here huh?_ No one knew much about him, except for the fact that he rarely strayed far from the King.

"Hello," ejected the woman, having noticed him this time. " Is there anything I can do for you?" She batted her eyes almost...seductively.

"Don't you think you're in a little too much danger to be pulling something like that?"

"I don't see...Oh, you mean the heartless. Oh deary, he only comes out at night. Would you care for an apple?"

"Sure; I'll take three." He paid for the apples, and then exited back onto the street. _So, it only comes out at night? I guess I have some time then: time to go visit Sid!_

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Sid's shop was exactly how he remembered it. Two windows on either side of the door shone brilliantly out into the daylight. _Even Sid has candles burning._ He knocked on the door twice, and then waited. He didn't have to wait long. The burgundy-colored door swung inwards, and a man stepped out. He was wearing a white apron, and had his arms crossed over his chest. He looked about ready to kill someone until he noticed Sora.

"Sora! You're back."

"Well, I guess you could say th--" He was being squeezed to death. No, he wouldn't have to worry about the heartless killing him, he had Sid to worry about. He pushed Sid off of him.

"Hey! Could you at least control yourself for a few seconds?" Sora inquired.

"Sure." His face clouded up. Sora didn't like to see him like this, so he instantly thought of something that would cheer him up.

"So, have you built anything new since I've been gone?" It worked. Sid's face lit up.

"Yes! I built this...You know what, you'd better come inside. He opened the door and Sora walked through it into a seemingly small house that actually had a lot of room.

Sid's house was, well, what you'd expect of a mechanic's house. Strewn bits of junk and odd pieces of metal lay scattered everywhere. Rusty parts sat on the walls; many of them featuring tags that read "Fix by Monday" or "re-hinge the brake valve to lower tank"--the tags just made less and less sense as Sora read them. Situated below the parts were screwdrivers and wrenches, some half covered in grease.

"Well," Sora sighed, "I guess nothing's changed here."

"You're damn right nothing's changed! I work hard to make my livin', unlike some people I know--" He stopped when he felt cool steel against his throat.

"Shut up. You don't know just how hard I work." Sora face froze, and then he regained his composure. He took the blade away from Sid's throat. "Sorry.." he half mumbled.

"It's Kairi, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Sora went to sat down, but then noticed the chair he was about to sit in was filled to the brim with junk. Sid, noticing this, picked up the chair and turned it upside-down. He put it back right-side up on the ground, motioning for Sora to sit.

"I understand completely." Sid said as he took his on chair, not caring when the metal he sat on crunched. "It isn't easy to have your only sibling desert you."

"And you'd know, right?" Sora teased.

"Hey! I'm just saying...Anyway, what's the real reason your here?" Sora eyes narrowed.

"Right. So, You know there's a heartless in this town; I was wondering if you knew any details about it." Was that it? Yeah, that was what he wanted to know.

"Hmph. Doesn't surprise me you little bugger. After the reward are ya?"

"You knew." It wasn't a question.

"Please. Anyone who knows you well enough could tell that's why you're here. So," Sid paused and scratched his goatee, "details about the heartless huh? Well, the main thing I know about it is that it's big and doesn't like light--" That explained the candles in the windows. "--And well, the only other thing I know about it is that it looks like a suit of armor."

"Well, that's actually very useful information Sid." He ignored the guffawed 'really' he heard. At the moment, Sora was lost in his mind, going through the information again. It liked the darkness for some reason._ It could be hiding something, _he thought, _but what could a gigantic heartless possibly hide? _He was so focused on that, that he barely noticed when Sid got up to go make dinner.

The second thing on his mind was the little detail of it wearing armor. The armor most likely would be impenetrable. Sure, it could wear down with time, but he wanted to end the fight as soon as possible. So...He would have to strike in-between the links in the armor, going for the exposed material beneath.

A tray of food invading his lap shook him from his thoughts. He almost stood up, but then realized that that would most likely make a bigger mess than what was already on the floor. Controlling that urge, he was able to keep both himself and the floor(mostly) clean. That's when he looked at what he was about to eat.

"Sid, what is this?" He dipped his spoon into a pile of sludge and held it out for Sid to see..

"Like it? It's my very own creation! I figured, what with Kairi gone--" he ignored Sora's grimace. "--I'd have to come up with something of my own, am I right?"

"Are you kidding? The only reason you eat this stuff is 'cause she's not here to cook for you." He let the spoon fall, and it made no sound as it was swallowed by the goop.

"Come on, eat it for my sake; and besides, you're gonna need your strength so I want to see you eat your whole bowl." The mention of food reminded Sora of the apples he had bought earlier. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the small bag.

"What are those?" Sid said.

"I bought some apples earlier today, I thought you might like one.

"You kidding me? Hand that bag over this instant. A small game ensued of Sid chasing Sora around his house, which Sora won eventually.

"Hah! You're gonna have to age backwards if you wanna take these from me." he taunted.

"Can I just have one?"

"Sure, all you had to had to do was ask."

"But I did ask earlier..."

"Nope. You demanded. That won't get you anywhere."

"Oh yeah, let's hear you say that again."

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Sora walked along the cobblestone street quietly, listening intently to his surroundings. His time with Sid had been fun. He had been chased again, but, like always, he won those too. He had fallen asleep a few hours after dusk. Only fifteen minutes ago had Sid woken him up, telling him that he'd have to leave if he was going to catch the heartless. He couldn't tell how long he had slept, but apparently it was long enough to have him feeling faintly buzzed for the upcoming match he knew was imminent.

He had eventually eaten some of the goop, and much to his surprise, it wasn't actually as bad as he had imagined. Though, he still needed two of the three apples to wash the taste out of his mouth.

The street was getting darker. He looked behind him and saw that the nearest street light was twenty yards behind him. _Any minute now...And the heartless will appear._ At least that's what should have happened. Instead, the brick wall on his left exploded, leaving a good sized hole in the wall. He was just about to check it out, but then two figures flew through it. The heartless he recognized instantly; the boy in the heartless' mouth he couldn't recognize at all. Blood was funning down the armor he'd been told about, which just happened to be glinting in the faint light.

"Drop the kid. If you don't, I'll destroy you." The words weren't really necessary, seeing as he was going to destroy it anyway. It turned an armored head toward him. Making sure that he could see, it swallowed the boy whole.

"You disgusting freak. Now I'll _have_ to kill you."

It lunged for him, and he simply turned to the side, letting the attack breeze past him. So far the heartless wasn't the smartest thing in the world. He pulled out his keyblade.

The heartless turned around, anger apparent in its body. Sora took a step forward, and in turn, the heartless took a step back—right into the light of a street lamp. Sora then knew it wasn't something wearing armor, the heartless was the armor itself. _Crap. _This was going to be a little tougher than he'd imagined. He blocked another strike while he thought. _How am I supposed to hit something that doesn't have a body?_

Another blow shattered his thoughts. This time was different though. There was an additional swing coming from his right. He wouldn't be able to dodge it. He cried out in pain as metal claws dug into his side. _This isn't good. I think he punctured one or two of my organs. _Sora fell down onto his knees, the blood loss getting to him.

"Bastard! It doesn't matter what you do to me, I will save that kid." He pushed himself onto his feet. "I will kill you. I'm going to cleanse the world of all heartless. You're not the first, and there's no way I'm gonna let you be the last.." He chocked out the last words, and coughed up blood. _There must be something on those claws. This reaction isn't normal. _"Besides," he muttered to himself "I need the reward money."

He lifted his keyblade and pointed it at the heartless. It started to shake in his hands, and then shot forth red light. _The kid should be protected by the heartless' insides._ He waved the blade around and then shouted "Firaga!" A ball of flame raced toward it and sealed it in blistering heat.

"Next," Sora stated. "I'll freeze you." He spun the blade around and yelled "Blizzaga" The metal hissed as it was iced, surprised at the sudden cold. The heartless tried to walk, but found it a hard thing to do. Sora rushed forward and pierced it through the middle, shattering it into a million pieces. Out of the shards of metal came the boy. Sora caught him before he hit the ground, noticing that he was still conscious, but then he dropped the boy gripping his stomach.

"I think he had poison on him." the voice surprised Sora, it was the voice of a teen. He held the teen up for a minute longer, and then dropped him down onto the cool cobblestones, his strength having run out.

"Oh, Roxas! Roxas, are you okay? My God you're bleeding!"

Sora felt the teen stand up next to him.

"No, no, I'm fine; he's the one you should be worried about." Through his half open eye, Sora saw the man look down at him.

"Who is he?" The teen called Roxas turned around and gently asked Sora what his name was. "Sora..." he mumbled out.

"His name's Sora."

"The reason for the concern, master?" Roxas was this guy's master? He had to be middle-aged.

"The reason for my concern, Tidus, is that Sora just saved my life." Sora heard an intake of breathe before he lost consciousness.

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Sora awoke to the sound of a monitor beeping. He struggles to open his eyes, and when he did, he was greeted with the image of a face mere inches from his own.

"You're finally awake." That voice...was it--

"Roxas?"

"Hey! You remembered my name! That's great."

"Where am I?" He looked around, but couldn't see much because of Roxas in front of him.

"You're in my hideout! I brought you here(well, Tidus insisted that you be brought here) after the fight. Oh yeah," he placed a bag gently on Sora's torso, "Here's your reward."

"What?"

"The reward for killing the heartless, remember?"

"Oh...yeah, that's right, I did kill it didn't I?"

"Yeah!" Roxas agreed. "And you saved me while you were at it."

Sora heard a door open.

"Roxas, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just a minute."

"Alright." The voice disappeared as the door closed.

"Sora, let me ask you something." He didn't wait for a response. "Would you like to go the royal palace with me?"

It was the last question Sora had expected. He had no idea who Roxas was, or what his purpose was. He thought of Sid. _He'd probably wouldn't worry if I suddenly disappeared, I _am _a mercenary, after all. But then again, royalty doesn't suit me too well. I'd have no idea what I was doing, where I was going, or how I was supposed to act. _That last thought made him smile.

"Sure," he croaked out. "I'd be _more than happy _to go with you."

"You sure?" Roxas' face lit up. "Then that's good, because we're already on the train!"

"What?" Sora nearly sat up, but then dropped back down from the pain.

"I wouldn't do that. There was some really potent poison on that heartless' claws; so it's probably better you don't move until we get there."

"Alright." He had to admit, it was the safest thing to do. "Just one question."

"Go ahead!"

"Why are we going to the royal palace?"

"Oh, that's easy, it's because I'm the king's cousin!"

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Phew! A first chapter! I think I forgot to mention that this whole thing is for LoriMina....but that's okay.

Anyway, I'm off to go spend the rest of my Friday.....reading 'Wuthering Heights'?

Huh......anyway, Tobi-kun is very happy right now!! So please, please review so that his world does not come crashing down like when Deidara died...~sob~


	2. Chapter 2

You are not going to believe what just happened.......That's right, I made you think that something happened. XD

**Axel: **You are such a dork, you know that?

**Tobi: **Yes I am! ...Is that bad?

**Axel: **Not necessarily. ~Mood Swing~ But why would I care? Huh? What does your hair have to do with--~Mood Swing~ You really should put some gel in this. I bet if you styled it just the right way...

**Tobi:** ~Stares, looks at reader~ Is he normally prone to mood swings?(And more importantly, was he just hitting on my hair?!?!)

**Axel:** Hey! If you don't have anything nice to say, then just get to the story.

**Tobi: **Fine.

Here's chapter two! ^_^

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Sora looked up at the enormous palace. Grand towers and pathways littered the landscape. Adorning nearly every surface was some object or noun that reeked of grandeur. Sora let out a small chuckle.

"What is it?" There was Roxas again. He hadn't given him a moments rest on the way to the palace.

The trip to the palace had taken a little longer than a week-and-a-half, due to a problem with the train or something else Sora didn't understand. Whenever he was awake, Roxas would pester him to play a game or tell him about his life. He hadn't felt like it was necessary, so he summed up his entire life in one small paragraph:

"Well, I'm a mercenary. I left my home at the age of ten. At first I searched for my sister, but now I'm beginning to feel that that's a lost cause. I live off the reward money I get, and apparently I have a knack for killing stuff."

Roxas didn't question him after that short answer. Rather, he increased the plethora of games Sora could choose from to play. Overall, Sora viewed the train ride a failure.

"I was just thinking how this place is completely the opposite of me." he sighed. "I don't really know why I wanted to come." he added under his breath.

"Come on, you have to admit that you like it, even if it is just a little bit." Sora blanched, and then thought about it for a minute.

"Fine." he admitted, "It's alright."

"Then you think it's awesome! Another thing we agree on!" Roxas smiled in his words, lifting Sora from his dreary mood.

"So what are we doing here?" he asked.

"Us? Well, you've got to see the king—I forgot to mention that he'll be busy until tomorrow. And me, well...I live here, duh!" He gave Sora a mock punch on the arm. _ This kid's so pure. It must cost the king a lot to keep things that way._

"I never asked you," he started, following up on his thought, " but how old are you?"

"Me? Well I'm fourteen. How old are you?"

"Huh?" He was still a little shocked by the surroundings. "I'll be sixteen in four months, so I guess that makes me fifteen." He answered.

"Really? That's means you're the same age as the king!"

"SAME AGE AS THE WHAT NOW?!?!" What the hell?

"Calm down. You're the same age as the king. You probably didn't know this, but the king's parents died in a storm five years ago." Roxas had taken on a scholarly like tone. "He technically wasn't old enough to be king then, so they had his advisors 'take the throne' until he was thirteen, when they deemed him able to rule. He is a bit unstable though. A year ago, he started muttering about darkness and(I don't really know) other stuff like that. So...for a while now, the entire kingdom is ready to crumble and/or fall apart. His advisors have been trying to help him, and for the most part, they succeed, but every now and then he tends to go off into one of his rants for days."

"I didn't know..." Sora managed to get past his surprised lips.

"Anyway, I already sent a message to him telling him of what you did for me, so he wants to meet you personally." Roxas' scholarly tone had dropped.

"...I have STAY HERE for an ENTIRE DAY?!?!"

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The alarm clock rang out suddenly, savagely tearing Sora from his sleep. He lifted a hand and smashed it on the desk beside the small bed he had slept on the past night. Instead of turning off, the clock just bounced to the floor, where it started to tango with the dust mites. "Aarrgghh" Sora grunted as he slipped off the bed and kicked the clock into a wall, shattering it into tiny pieces. "There. Now take your bastard alarm and shove it up your ass." He didn't care that he was talking to a clock, he just needed to cuss out something. He was just about to get back into his bed when someone knocked at the door.

"Noooo..." He crossed the length of the room as he went to open the door. Speaking of which, the room he was in was entirely too big. Gigantic paintings hung on the walls, numerous rugs stretched over the wood floor, windows dominated the side of the room that faced outwards; and then, of course, there was the broken alarm clock that furnished part of the wall and floor near the door.

He opened the door, and was met with the drab face of Tidus, the stoic butler.

"Didyou want sahhhmething." he said, still tired from just waking up.

"Yes sir. The king will be ready to see you in an hour, so I suggest you make yourself presentable before then."

"...Anyhing ehlse?"

"Yes, breakfast is served in five minutes, so I suggest you hurry." He pulled the door shut and left Sora to himself.

Sora ran to the big closet in a corner of the room, pulling out random clothes. After about three minutes, he was ready. He was now dressed in (what he thought was disgusting) formal attire. He wore a tight-fitting black shirt over his torso and black hose over his legs. Draped over the shirt was a another tight-fitting item: a yellow vest. He covered the upper part of his legs with a red belt that wound around his left leg. Over the vest was a flowing gray coat that went down to his knees. To add a little flair, he'd also thrown in a pearl-colored scarf that wrapped around his neck. He didn't change his shoes though, preferring just to go with his normal black-with-red-shoelaces ones.(1)

He stepped out into the corridor and glanced about, trying to figure out which way to go. He heard a muffled laugh. _That sounds like Roxas. _So he turned left and followed the corridor until it opened into a large hall. The roof must have been thirty feet high, and strong beams(located twelve feet from one another) held it up.

Along the left wall of the hall was a long counter that housed an interesting array of food. In the middle of the hall were a collection of long tables. Many soldiers crammed into these tables, except for one on the far right of the hall, seated at which was Roxas and Tidus.

"Sora!! Over here." he exclaimed. He then turned to Tidus and said something Sora couldn't hear; but soon afterwards Tidus got up from his seat and headed towards the counter. "Over here!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you." he muttered to himself. He crossed the hall to Roxas, ignoring the eyes he felt following him. As he sat down, Tidus appeared with a tray of food, which Sora then proceeded to shove his face in.

"Thanes sho mush!" he ejected while he ate, portraying a mouth full of half eaten food. Tidus blanched, which was what he was aiming for.

"No problem. As a matter-of-fact, I'm rather hungry myself. Tidus, if you would...?" he left the question hanging, but the butler picked up on what he was trying to say. "Make sure you get me a lot!" he added as Tidus walked off. When Sora had swallowed his mouthful of food, Roxas started to speak again.

"So Sora, are you ready to see the king?" Now it was Sora's turn to blanch.

"I guess...but I really don't see what good it will do."

"Oh come on. I bet you'll love it."

"Maybe--"

"Please? Love it for me?" Damn. How did the kid do it? At fourteen, no one should be able to do puppy dog eyes anymore.

"Fine."

"Alright! Now that that's out of the way, tell me, why is nearly every soldier in here staring at you?" Sora felt his face bloom into a cherry red.

"Ummm, I don't know. Maybe it has to do with the way I'm dressed or, ummm--" he was cut off by a chuckle.

"Sora?"

"Yeah?" he said, looking up.

"That was a rhetorical question." Sora had a sinking feeling. "But don't be alarmed, Riku does that all the time too. It's kinda funny the way he takes everything seriously." Oh, well, he guessed that made him feel a little better—wait a minute...

"Riku?"

"What? You didn't know? That's the king's name!" Riku was the king? His father's best friend's son was the king. But that meant...

"Dad's friend..." he nearly whispered, remembering the time his father used to spend with him, leaving Sora alone with his mother. He wondered what Riku looked like.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Sora was about to answer, but it was at that moment that Tidus came back, carrying a plate with a mountain of food on it.

"He's you're breakfast, sir" Tidus said as he laid the plate before Roxas.

"Thanks Tidus. But I'm not really that hungry." Roxas took a piece of toast off the gigantic pile.

"You can have the rest." Tidus looked shocked.

"Well, uh, thank you sir." he stuttered as Roxas and Sora started laughing.

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"Sir, the king is ready for you."

Sora didn't hear the guard, lost as he was in the talk he'd had with Roxas barely an hour ago. The guy he was about to see was the son of his long lost father's friend. Sora didn't know what to feel. Should he be angry? No. He couldn't blame the guy for his father's actions. Should he be happy? Why would he; when they had never even met before? Deciding at last, he decided to go with collected, ready to take anything that happened in stride.

"Sir?" the guard ejected a little bit louder, knocking Sora out of his thoughts.

"Hmm? Yes?"

"The king is ready to see you. If you would step back, we'll open the door for you." this last statement was said with a smile, so Sora looked around at where he was. He had his face pressed up against a large, cool metal door, his breath making soft foggy spots on it.

"Oh, right!" he answered quickly, backing away from the door.

Once he was far enough away, two very strong looking men pulled at the doors, slowly pulling them open. Sora couldn't wait anymore; so before the doors were fully open, he rushed inside.

He was greeted with a long hall. Almost the entire hall was open to the wind, allowing air to flow through it. At the end of it lay a gigantic throne, and numerous doors behind it. Seated in the throne was a teenager. Just like Roxas had said, he couldn't have been older than Sora. He was wearing a long pearl robe that went down to his ankles, and he had long silver hair. Sora neatly inhaled a large breath, before starting to sweat a little bit.

"Are you Sora?" Riku nearly had to shout. "Come down here so we can talk instead of yell." Sora walked sown the hall, quietly noting the guards that stood almost completely hidden in the corners of the archways that let in the wind. He also noticed a guard on either side of the throne.

He finally reached the throne and looked up, finding himself looking at a face that could shatter a million hearts. Riku had almost perfect features: the well-set eyebrows, the matching ears, and the startling green eyes that he almost thought were studying his blue ones as well.

"You are Sora?" it almost seemed like he was whispering the words. And his voice...

"Yes." he said, regaining his composure. " Why did you ask me here?" there was a low hiss from the guards. Maybe he was being disrespectful, but Sora felt like he could talk to Riku as if they were on the same level.

"It's okay, calm down you guys." that was directed towards the guards. To Sora, " I felt the need to thank you for saving Roxas' life. He is very precious to me, and I don't know if I could lose him and not go crazy." Sora pushed the thought of that being ironic out of his mind.

"Okay...but then why drag me all the way here...just to see you?" Damn it! Why was he acting like this? He could somewhat feel the smile that Riku sent his way.

"I thought it might be neat to get a look at your face, and...I guess I was right." Now it was Sora's turn to smile. He was about to say something, when he was interrupted by one of the guards—the one to the left of the throne.

"Your majesty." Did Sora imagine it, or was that statement nearly spat out? " I don't think I'll be able to control myself if he continues to speak to you in such a disrespectful manner."

"Then you'd better learn better self control, Axel. This is a guest, and we can't afford not to be hospitable."

"Fine." He turned to Sora. "But you better watch you damn mouth, or I will kill you. I don't care if you are a renowned mercenary—got it memorized?" Now that was odd. _This 'Axel' guy is dangerous. I might want to shape up a little. _

"Alright."

"So tell me a little bit about yourself, Sora."

"Sure. _If _ you tell your guards to leave. I wouldn't want everyone to know my secrets, would I"

Riku paused a minute. Then he motioned with his hands, and every guard left the hall, filing through the doors behind the throne.

"That's something I can do, now tell me about yourself."

"Well, my life started when I was ten. My sister Kairi left--" did he just hear a muffled laugh? "-- me alone then. Both of our parents were dead. They died when I was about six, so my sister looked after me for four years. When she left, she said that if she kept babying me, I'd never grow up. I left the island we had lived on a few weeks after that, and went to my uncle Sid's for a time.

"He trained me in the basics of fighting, and after six months, I left to journey on my own. Since then, I've been a mercenary. At first, no one wanted to hire me for jobs, because they thought I was little to do anything." he continued on telling Riku all the ups and downs of his life, until finally he was able to conclude with: "That's when I went to the town to destroy the heartless. And now...well, I'm here." It was strange telling someone his life story. He had never really been able to until now.

"Hmm. That's interesting. Would you stay for lunch? I heard word that you didn't eat too much this morning." Huh? It was lunch time? Sora looked through one of the arches, and noticed that the sun was square in the middle of the sky.

"Sure."

Riku, upon hearing this last word, clapped his fingers and a guard appeared in the hall.

"Would you please tell the cooks to make lunch for two? Sora will be joining me for lunch."

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"...So our fathers have met before? I never new....Not that it matters now anyways." Riku sounded sad, and Sora had this odd urge to comfort him.

They had just finished lunch, and a cloud had moved in the sky, temporarily bringing darkness to their peaceful meal. Their were situated on a balcony that must have been fifteen stories high. A long white table with white chairs; that's where they sat at the moment.

"You're right, I guess it doesn't really matter anymore." Sora replied.

"Though, I guess as long as we're together, they're together in spirit, right?" That made Sora smile. He was just about to answer, but for the second time that day, he was cut off.

"How quaint. I'd never think that the king... But then again, you never have shown any like towards the girls of this fair palace, have you, _dear King Riku_?" Both Sora and Riku stood up, swirling around to see Axel,dressed in a black robe, standing on the pathway that linked the balcony to the rest of the palace. He was holding a large brown bag slung over his left shoulder.

"Axel? What do you mean? Why are you here?"

"Hah! You people are clueless." He hit the bag, which cried out. No, it wasn't the bag that cried out, there was someone in there. But why would Axel bring that to the king...unless--

"Drop Roxas." Sora commanded, easing his keyblade out of it's sheath.

"Oh? You you figured it out that quickly, hmm? I can't say I'm surprised, you being a _renowned _mercenary and all. But simply figuring things out doesn't help you or anyone!" He took a few steps forward, and Sora slid back to behind the table, keeping Riku behind him.

"Hand him over now."

Axel scoffed. "I really don't think you have the right to be saying that, seeing as we have Riku too."

"What?" Sora swathed a hand behind him, but all he felt was air. Suddenly another man wearing a black robe appeared behind Axel. He had Riku gagged and thrown over his shoulder—man, why didn't these guys just get purses? Axel nodded, and then the two separated, each of them going to one side of the balcony. Both then proceeded to dangling the content of their arms over the side.

"So Sora. I've really wanted to test your _renowned _capabilities. So here's a thought, take your pick. So get to save one while the other plunges to their death. I really have to pat myself on the back later."

"Bastard. You can't do this!" Sora shouted.

"But I can. So you got two choices, the king or his cousin, got it memorized?"

Sora went to say something, but then decided to think. He remembered Riku, his face, his eyes, the way he laughed, and how addicting his personality seemed to be. And then he remembered Roxas; Roxas treating his wounds, Roxas trying to teach him, no to mention breakfast with Roxas—he was the kind of person who deserved to stay alive. In the end, it came down to one question: Could he let go of his selfishness? He thought a bit more, and then walked over to Axel.

"Free Roxas."

"Sure thing." he untied the bag and let Roxas drop out of it. His hands and feet were bound, and he looked a little out of breath, but he would be okay. The second Roxas was completely out of the bag, Axel shouted:

"Zexion, drop him now." Sora turned in horror as the man—or rather Zexion—let go of Riku. Sora only froze for a second before he ran to the edge of the balcony and jumped off, straightening his body so he could catch Riku.

He fell for about six stories before he was able to grab a hold of Riku. Once he had him in his left arm securely, he slammed his keyblade into the place wall, stones and dust flying outward. His keyblade must have ripped another six stories open before he stopped falling.

"That's pretty cool!" He heard Axel yell. "But then again, you completely forgot about Roxas."

_Roxas--_

"Well, that's was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime." Sora could barely see him lift he bag back over his shoulder. "We'll be watching you, Sora! Make sure you don't do anything stupid, or we'll be there to slit your throat next time you fall—got it memorized?!" Those were the last words he heard Axel say, because not long after he had finished faultily expostulating, he disappeared in a patch of darkness leaving Sora to hang three floors off the ground.

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(1) Does anyone know how to draw? ~ makes puppy dog eyes~ Pleeeeeaaaaassssseeeee?

Man, I though I'd never finish this chapter! Sorry for the wait(was there one?), but I'm kind of a slow typer. Mix that with the fact that I'll be 3 pages ahead of a scene I wrote, and then think of something that would go perfect in that scene(which I have to then put in); and the fact that I just noticed I haven't plotted trough the end of the story, and the fact I'm no good at concentrating ~Slaps Himself~ Now you're just making excuses.

Oh, and sorry about the slowness(in plot). I know I said this is an adventure fic(and it will be), but everything needs a beginning, right?

I'm off to plot!! Ta-ta for now, and please leave a review!!!

-Tobi-kun


	3. Chapter 3

YAY! ...is a three letter word consisting of one syllable, one vowel, and two letters of the alphabet...What a minute....What am I saying?

I think it's about time I addressed the whole 'Character' thing. Most of the characters in this story(in any of my stories really) will be OoC. The reason for this is: When I write, I tend to pour myself into what I'm working on. Consequently, the characters and mood of the story usually will reflect my personality or how I feel that day or something. I hope that's not confusing. What I'm basically saying that each character is a reflection of myself.(...deepness much?)

**Axel: **What the hell are you talking about?

**Tobi: **Who, me?

**Axel: **Yes you. I have absolutely no idea why you like to ramble so much.

**Tobi: **Well maybe I just like to ramble...because I've no one to talk to...and I'm lonely while liking to be alone.

Are you(my dear reader) one of those people that likes company but also likes being alone? YAY for us!(see above.)

**Axel: **You're rambling again.

**Tobi:** Sorry! And now, without further ado, chapter three!(WARNING: It might be a tad boring, but hey, this is the end of the slow stuff!)

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Sora pulled his keyblade out of the wall, struggling to hold Riku while he dropped the three stories down to the ground. He landed with a thud, scattering some leaves. He was faintly aware of a few people running towards him. They seemed to be calling for Riku.

Riku was slouched over, and his breathing was heavy. He had two small puncture wounds at the base of his neck. Did Zexion somehow manage to put something in him?

He felt hands try to rip Riku from his arms, tugging his life away from him. No, he wouldn't let that happen. He had tried so hard to save two lives: Technically, he did, but mentally, it felt like Roxas had just died. He wouldn't allow them to get Riku too. One of the gathering voices stood out from the rest at that moment.

"Sir, please! I am a medic. If you want him to live, we need to bring him to the healing chambers in the castle!" _If I want him to live? _

"Yes." he whispered.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"Yes, take him..." He stood up and gave Riku to the medic. " Just make sure he lives, okay."

The medic saluted, which would have been comical except for the circumstances. "Yes sir!" with that final statement he started to march off, then turned around. "You should come too sir."

"Alright..."

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The medic wrapped bandages around Sora's arm. He was seated in the center of a dark room.

"That fall you took was pretty bad, then again, it could be your own fault. The bones in your arm are either broken or out of place, and some of your muscles were torn as well."

"That doesn't matter." As long as he had saved one of the hostages. Riku...speaking of which--

"How's Riku doing?" he half-yelped as the medic pulled the bandages around his arm tight.

"Well, they say he'll be alright. The poison(which was injected into his neck) wasn't that fatal. Luckily, we have the antidote for it right here in the palace. He'll be fine in a few days." Relief crashed into Sora.

"That's good."

"You bet it is....No one is really concerned though. I don't know why...It might because of his outbreaks." _Outbreaks? _" That kid had to live through so much...Oops don't tell anyone you heard that from me though. But you can go and see him once I'm done here"

The medic worked for a few more minutes in silence, then let out a cry.

"It's done!" Sora looked at his arm. It was covered in bandages; not a single speck of skin showed through. He went to move it, but then felt a searing pain.

"It would probably be best if you don't move it for a while. Oh yeah, the king is down the left corridor, the third door on your left. Have a nice day!" With that the medic skipped off.

Sora got up and tried to remember which way to go. _Left corridor, third door on the left. Okay. _Sora started walking. He passed one door, then passed another, and finally came to the third door. He hesitated, then opened it to reveal Riku lying in bed. He too, was wrapped up. He seemed to be asleep, so Sora sat down in a chair opposite the bed. The room was mostly bare, especially the walls.

Sora stared at one of the walls and tried to figure out what had just happened. _What did Axel mean? Sure he said some odd stuff, but what was that bit about me falling? And, moreover, that bit about Riku? Well, I can pretty much guess what that was about...So Riku likes me...This feeling...It's just like the one I had when I first met him...I think I like him too. But that isn't right, is it? I mean, two guys shouldn't feel this way, right? But then again...Who am I to say that kind of stuff. I'm just a mercenary. And mercenaries shouldn't like kings right? But...I still have this feeling..._

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"...So rather than just sit here and fight, I move that we should do something!"

Sora and Riku were now inside of a large, circular room. The walls were were completely blank, and Sora couldn't find any way to tune out the current conversation, so he listened.

They had been stuck in the infirmary for a few days. All Sora did all day was check on Riku and daydream. It hadn't been that fun. Then, an hour ago, they had been called up to a 'meeting' to decide on a plan of action. And now...they were stuck in this awful room.

" Calm down Sora. We are grateful that you saved the king's life, but that does not grant you instant permission to speak out of turn. Now, let us regain our discussion." Sora sat back down, mollified for a time.

"There is a good chance that they will be waiting for us if we decide to go after them."

"Yes, but on the contrary, if we don't go after them we will lose Roxas—perhaps forever." This caused everyone in the room to shift in their seat.

"That is true. But, we must still think about he king's safety."

Much babbling occurred then. "If we try this..." "What about the..." "We should send out..." One particularly loud voice said: "If we don't try something soon, we won't be able to find him at all!"

Riku seemed to twitch, so Sora turned to look at him. "You okay?"

"Yes. It was probably just a fluke in the medicine." Sora could tell he was lying.

"Come on, Riku; tell me what's on your mind!" Riku threw his head down, which sparked alarm in Sora. He had just reached his hand out when Riku started to speak.

"I'm so scared." Was this even Riku? " I can't begin to think of losing Roxas. He's the only family I have left, you know." Riku stopped and lifted his hand to his face. Sora turned, and saw he was wiping forming tears from his eyes. "Without my Mom and Dad, I was so lonely. I couldn't do anything to stop them from being...No." Riku sat up in his chair. " I will take matters into my own hands!" He stood up, and the murmur of voices died almost instantly.

"I've decided. I, personally, will be going to search for Roxas." He declared.

"But king! We cannot allow you to do something like this alone--" began a man from the other side of the table.

"Fool. I won't be going alone. Sora is coming with me."

"But...W can't allow you to--"

"SILENCE! This is my family we're are talking about!" Riku had moved around the table, until he was in front of the door. " You will gather my things, and gather Sora's too." The man stood dumbfounded. "That is an order—do it now!"

"Yes sir!" He saluted and then ran past Riku through the door. Riku turned to Sora, and grabbed his hands. He exclaimed: "We're leaving!" Sora let himself be dragged up, not really paying attention to anything else but the pair of hands over his own.

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They stood outside the front gates of the castle, each looking back. Sora was dressed normally, and Riku had donned traveling clothes. As they stood there, looking upon the towering spirals of the castle, each was filled with a sense of adventure, and loss. They felt adventure for their new quest, seeing as saving Roxas was going to be an arduous task; and they felt loss for their family. For Riku, he had lost Roxas—for Sora, he had lost Kairi.

"I think we'd better get going, Riku. The longer we stay here, the farther away Roxas gets." His tone was thoughtful. Riku looked over to see him smiling at him.

"Yeah, I think that'd be best too. Just make sure you don't slow me down."

"Me slow you down?! That's impossible! If anything, I think you'll slow me down." He laughed.

"Wanna bet?" Riku said as he got Sora in a headlock. " I _do _have a lot to offer." Sora thought about it for a minute, and then pushed away Riku's arm.

"Alright! But if you slow me down, you have to pay me 1000000 munny! And if you win--" he got interrupted.

"Then you have to stay in the castle with me for a year." Riku said, his words getting fuddled as Sora kept on talking.

"What? I didn't hear you."

Riku re-iterated, keeping his head down: "Then you have to stay with me in the castle for a year. If I win, you have to stay with me." Sora was taken aback. _Stay with him for a year?... _Sora scratched his ear.

"Alright." Riku's head shot up. "It's a deal. Now, what do you say we get going?" Riku smiled.

"That sounds good to me!"

It was strange, but somehow, now Sora felt like Riku and he shared something. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but he knew it was there.

"Okay, grab your stuff and let's go!" Sora exclaimed.

That was all Zexion heard as he was hiding in the trees just outside the castle grounds. He watched as the pair gathered their supplies on their backs. He waited as they started off. He held his breathe as they passed below him; and he smiled as they went on their way, not even noticing him in the slightest.

"I've gotta tell Axel." he whispered to himself.

He opened a portal and slipped into the darkness.

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Roxas choked back the small amount of blood that was threatening to push itself from his lips. He couldn't see, he couldn't feel, not to mention he couldn't tell where he was going.

The bag was stifling. His joints ached from being cramped up for so long. "Plllsssshhhmmmrphmmmaaa" he screamed, it having no effect because of the gag in his mouth. Axel must have heard though, because Roxas was dropped onto a hard surface. He heard the bag being untied, and then closed his eyes because of the blinding light.

"So, how's my favorite little pipsqueak doing?" Axel yanked the gag out of Roxas' mouth.

"I'm doing fine. But would you please tell me where we're going?" His eyes still hurt from the light.

"In due time, pipsqueak. Till then, have a nice time in this little bag of yours!"

"Nooo--" Roxas yelled before the gag was shoved back in his mouth, and the bag was tied up again.

Roxas stayed in the darkness, unaware of anything except for the faint whistling noise coming from in front of him.

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Wow, sorry about the shortness, and the wait—some really random stuff happened in my life.

On that note, sorry about the angstiness of the first part, that was right about when the random stuff happened.

Anyway, see all of you guys sometime after Christmas, 'cause I don't think I'll be able to update before then.

And another thing, could somebody please tell me the names and abilities of all the organization members? I seem to have forgotten.(Mostly 'cause I haven't played the game in ages.)

...

...

~Starts whistling~


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry about the long wait. To start off the new year, I took a week off to plot. After that was done, I was like 'Ouch my brain!!!!!!' for a whole week. Then, the next week, when I went to go write this, my mom banned me from the computer for a week. So it's just been a whole mess of messed up weeks.

**Axel:** Excuses, excuses.

**An extremely irritated Tobi: **EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

**Axel: **Exactly.

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"Damn, this thing still hurts?!" Sora shouted as Riku replaced the bandages on Sora right arm. They had been traveling through the forest for a few days now. The heartless in the woods weren't strong, but Riku did actually gain a few skills. Sora neatly quenched that intense feeling of pride with another yelp. It just so happened that one of the heartless was able to rip off his bandages—which was _not _a good thing.

"Stop being such a wimp Sora. Aren't you supposed to be a renowned mercenary?" Riku teased, not knowing that saying 'that' word would spark some bad memories in Sora.

"Don't say that again, Riku." Sora commanded, his pain completely forgotten.

"What?" Riku looked up from his bandaging.

"That 'r' word. Axel said that when...Just don't say it." Sora finished, staring into the woods behind Riku.

"Oh...okay." He went back to wrapping up Sora's arm. A few minutes later, he got up and stretched.

"Well that's done. Try it out." He said.

"Huh?" Sora looked down at his completely bandaged arm. "All right!" He got up off of the log he'd been sitting on and swung his arm through the air. It didn't hurt nearly as much now; and besides, he was as proficient with a sword in his left hand as in his right. He stooped down and picked up his pack.

"We'd better start off again. If we stay here too long, the heartless'll find us." Riku nodded and gathered his things, and in a few moments they were running through the forest again.

After about twenty minutes, they came to a large grassy clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a man surrounded by heartless. Sora watched closely for a minute.

"He's losing." He stated, dropping his pack. Riku grabbed his arm.

"So, what? You're just gonna go help a random stranger?" Sora shook off the arm.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Riku, you're the king. Isn't a king supposed to protect his subjects?" Once Sora finished he ran into the clearing, pulling out his keyblade as he went.

He sliced through five heartless to get to the guy. "You okay?" He shouted.

"Yeah," the man said as he cut through another heartless.

"What's your name?" Sora asked.

"Intro's later."the man said.

Pretty soon, the heartless had forced them back-to-back. Sora looked over his shoulder and smiled. As he turned back around, he noticed the man was doing the same thing.

"Ready?" Sora asked.

"Ready." the man confirmed.

Sora linked his left arm with the man's right. He then started to run in a big circle. When he had gathered enough speed, he jumped from the ground and onto a heartless. He used his momentum to push it back, and then continued his run. He started to run on their faces, spinning faster around the group. After a few minutes of this, he let go of the man's arm and launched feet-first into the last heartless. It gurgled for a minute, and then shattered.

"That was some nice work!" Sora exclaimed. He sat down on the thick grass, panting slightly. He put his keyblade into it's sheath just as a hand fell onto his shoulder. He looked up to see the man.

"Thanks for the help back there, I'm Leon."

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They had seated themselves beneath some trees at the edge of the clearing, and Riku had had the idea to eat lunch then.

"So Leon, what's your story?" Riku asked innocently, munching on a sandwich.

"My story?" He replied, "I don't have a story. I'm just a care-free guy that travels a lot."

"As if." Sora teased. " The look on you face during that fight certainly wasn't 'carefree'."

"...Okay, you got me. But I still don't have a past, okay?" Leon said.

"Yeah, yeah." Riku muttered. He got up and walked into the clearing. Once he was out of earshot, Leon leaned in close to Sora.

"So what's his deal?" He asked.

Sora took a minute to reply. He really didn't want anyone to know that Riku was the king, so he settled on a friend instead. "He's my friend. He might seem a bit out-of-sorts, but that's just the way he is."

Leon sat back and stared up through the canopy of trees. "So what are you guys traveling for?"

"We're looking for someone...He was kidnapped." Sora watched the Leon digest the news.

"So, you're headed for the Colosseum? That's the only place that I know of that can help you with that kind of thing."

"Yeah." Sora answered, busy thinking about the captured someone. He was about to ask Leon another question when Riku yelled for them to join him. They took a look at each other, and then got up and walked to where Riku was standing. By his feet was a heartless that hadn't completely dissipated yet.

"What is it Riku?" Leon asked,a bit bothered to have to walk back out into the hot sun.

"This." Riku rolled the heartless over, and stuck to it's back was a pink rose petal. The edges of the petal were serrated, as if it didn't need thorns to cut open someone's skin. Sora reached down and yanked it off of the heartless' back. The second the petal was fully off, the heartless disappeared.

"Strange." Leon and Sora both said at the same time. Sora turned the petal over in his hands. It seemed perfectly ordinary.

"It was probably stuck there to classify whose heartless it was." Riku stepped back a bit.

"You mean, people can control heartless?" He stammered. Leon turned to Sora and whispered, "_This _is your friend?" Sora whispered back, "He's lived a rather sheltered life." Well, it _was_ true.

"Yeah," Leon started. "There are some people who take control of heartless to further their own ends. Funniest thing is, to do so, they have to let them feed on their heart from time to time. I say it's better to just leave them wild." He finished to find Riku still looking confused; Sora figured he'd have to say it in a simpler manner.

" Person meets heartless, person takes control of heartless, heartless feeds on person, got it now." Riku nodded. They all went back to their spot under the trees.

"Now, back to the petal. I don't think it's anything to worry about, just keep a look out for other attacks; someone was trying to kill you Leon." Sora stated.

"Don't know who...Anyway, it's seems like we both are heading towards the same destination, what do you say we join up?" Leon said, picking a bag up from a hidden place among the trees.

"Wait," Riku said. "What do you mean we're both heading towards the same destination?"

"You didn't tell him Sora?" Sora shook his head. "Oh; well, the best place to get information about a missing person is at the Colosseum. It just so happens I have stuff to do there too, so why not join up?"

"Yeah!" Sora agreed. Riku sighed: he didn't have a choice. He left Sora to gather their things and laid back against a large tree.

He started to think. _Why didn't I get to make any decisions? Am I really getting in the way that much? I mean, I'm the king, right? I'm important. _He looked up at the now-packing Sora. _ What is it about him? Why do I feel this way?_

--Flashback--

"_Though, I guess as long as we're together, they're together in spirit, right?" That made Sora smile. He was just about to answer, but for the second time that day, he was cut off._

"_How quaint. I'd never think that the king...But then again, you never have shown any like towards the girls of this fair palace, have you, _dear King Riku_?" Both Sora and Riku stood up, swirling around to see Axel, dressed in a black robe, standing on the pathway that linked the balcony to the rest of the palace. He was holding a large brown bag slung over his left shoulder._

"_Axel? What do you mean? Why are you here?"_

--End Flashback--

_Now I know. This is what he was talking about. I'm...a queer. But, I really can't see Sora being one too._

"Riku, we're leaving." Riku looked up to see Sora standing over him. "If you continue like this, then you're gonna lose our bet." With that he turned around, and started to walk off into the woods. Riku doubted it, but he could've sworn the look in Sora's eyes had said, 'don't lose our bet.' By the time he came back to reality, Sora and Leon were a ways ahead of him.

"Wait up!" He yelled as he ran towards them.

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A nimble figure stole onto the clearing the party had just left. It slithered its way to the middle of the field, where one last heartless lay. It turned the heartless over, and mercilessly tore the rose petal off of its back. It put the petal into a pocket on its baggy pants and then slithered off of the field,disappearing from view.

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Roxas woke up, and for once, he didn't feel the tightness of the bag around him. Pretty soon, light invaded his eyes for the first time in what felt like ages. Once his eyes had adjusted to the light and to being open, he closed them again, blinking rapidly to make his eyes water a bit. Once they had moistened,, he moved his eyes around, effectively knocking the large crustiness off of them.

After a few minutes of lying still and trying to regain the feeling in his limbs, he sat up. Almost every bone in his body popped, and he sighed in relief. He had been cramped in that bag for a while, but how long had it really been?

He took a look at his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. Nearly everything in the room was white. The walls were a starch white, the table he was sitting on was white, and the chairs surrounding the table were white. The only thing that stood out to him were the paintings—or rather, drawings—on the walls. Various scenes flashed before his eyes. He slowly crawled off the table and walked to one of them. As h got nearer, he noticed that he was in the painting. He was smiling, and he was holding the hand of someone with red hair.

"Axel." He murmured, his words coming out coarse because of his dry throat. He traced a finger along the picture Axel's frame. It...was almost lifelike. He had spent enough time on Axel's shoulder to know the shape of his body, and the picture seemed to catch every hint of his curves under the black robe.

"Do you know--" He was interrupted from his admiring by a familiar voice, a voice he had usually heard through a bag. "Do you know, Roxas, why I kidnapped you, and not Riku?" A hand wrapped around his waist, and he felt himself being pulled back into a soft darkness.

"N-no." He stammered, blushing slightly at the sudden touch. Axel placed his hand at the bottom of Roxas' shirt, lifting it up slightly and tracing his fingers across his skin. "I-I have no idea." Roxas finally said and pulled away from Axel.

Axel looked hurt. "You really don't remember, Roxas?" He sounded disappointed. Roxas watched him lean against the white table, running his hand through his hair. "He really did do it then..."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas said, mildly interested in what Axel was saying.

"Oh come on. You can't just leave for six years and then not know...But you did lose your memory, didn't you, _number thirteen_?" Axel laughed at this last statement, and pushed away from the table. He strode over to Roxas and captured his face in his left hand, forcing him to look up at him.

Roxas' confusion showed bright in his eyes. He panicked slightly at Axel's touch. He was doing everything to fight the feeling, but somehow it seemed familiar. "What do you mean, number thirteen?" he whispered softly as Axel replaced his hand with his chin. He felt Axel's lips slowly brush against his neck. For the small instant they were there, Roxas sighed; but then as soon as they had appeared on his neck, they vanished.

Axel let go of Roxas and turned away from him, walking towards the wall opposite of Roxas. He pushed a section of the wall, and a door appeared to the right of him. " You really want to know? Then follow me." Axel slid through the doorway, leaving Roxas standing in the white room alone. After a moment's hesitation, Roxas crossed the room and walked through the doorway. He immediately found himself in a large hallway. The walls were a rustic brown color, and a thick rug covered the floor beneath him. He looked up just in time to see Axel rounding a corner ahead of him. He didn't want to get lost, so he sprinted after him.

He kept following Axel for a while, only ever catching a glimpse of his robe disappearing around a corner. After about half an hour, he caught up with Axel. He was standing in front of some sort of high tech door. Wires and switches covered the door and surrounding space. Axel's back was turned away from him. "Where are we?"

"I though you wanted to know who you are. Do you really want to switch the topic?" was Axel's response. Roxas quickly answered.

"No, I want to know who I am." That was about as confident a voice as he could manage. Axel turned towards him. He smiled.

"Then come on." Axel pushed a button Roxas didn't see, and the door swung open. Axel disappeared inside of it. This time, Roxas followed without a second thought.

Roxas kept walking until he entered a large room packed with computers. Each computer screen flashed with a different piece of data than the last. One had a building on it, the next had trees roots on it, the next had the outline of a body on it. Roxas stared at the screens while he walked forward.

"Hello Roxas." came a deep and commanding voice from in front of him. Roxas tore away his eyes from the screens to see who had spoke. It was a man dressed all in red bandages sitting in a high-backed chair, and his eyes shone bright yellow under the dark light of the computers.

"...Do I know you?" Roxas offered, and the man laughed.

"No Roxas, but I know you. I know you quite well, actually; maybe better than you know yourself." The man laughed at Roxas' expression. "And yes, I love to speak in riddles." Roxas just stared at him, drawing a mental blank.

"Who _are _you?" Roxas asked, turning and placing his hand against a monitor. He could feel the man's eyes on him.

"Me? I am Diz. I believe the question here Roxas, is _who _are _you_?" The man laughed again, and Roxas turned away from the monitor to look at him.

"...Can you show me?" It was something he really wanted to know.

"...Yes Roxas. I can show you everything. Though, for me to tell you, you must only do one thing." He pressed a button on his chair, and a portion of the wall slid to the side revealing something that looked like to castle turned upside down. "I want you to step under this device Roxas. Do that for me, and I will tell you everything. Including, _what happened to your parents_." That was the deciding factor for Roxas. Diz knew something about his parents, and he had to find out what it was.

"What does it do?" He asked, taking a step towards it.

"I will show you once you step underneath it." Roxas shot one last quizzical look at Diz, then stepped under the machine. The second he was fully under it, he saw Diz press a button, and everything started to shimmer.

"It looks like I win this one, Axel." said Diz's faint voice.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The wind stole swiftly through the windows of a dark tower, rattling its frame. Inside the highest room in the tower, a woman with golden hair sat. She clutched something small in her hand, repeatedly tuning it over and over.

"Yes." she said tracing her finger along the edge of the item. " I have been waiting so long for this. Just you wait, I will find you...Thank you for this." she said to the nimble figure in front of her. "This greatly advances my plan. Now leave me."

The figure bowed, and then slithered out of the room; leaving the woman alone with her thoughts.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

So, that probably seems short too, doesn't it? But hey, I'm just glad I got this up. As you can see, the plot pretty much balloons out from here...*evil grin* MUHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

..aHem. Thank you for not killing me while you waited, and sorry for making you wait so long!


	5. Chapter 5

...*Glomps readers* ...Excuse me. But I'm happy. Is that such a crime?

**Axel:** Yes. Yes it is.

**Tobi:** ...I've been banned from the computer too long to be downed by that.

**Axel:** ...You have the RIGHT to remain SILENT.

**Tobi:** I HAVE THE _LEFT_ TO TALK ALL I WANT!!!!!!!!!

**Axel:** The left? You really are getting dense. Get to the chapter already. The last one was kind of a washout, so they deserve a good one this time.

**Tobi: **You're right! I mean, LEFT! I mean...

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Larxene."

"Yes Vexen?"

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? For all you know, you could be walking right into his trap."

"Please. Trap shmap. If I walk into any such thing, I've got just the thing ready."

"Oh? So you've prepared that for him?"

Larxene giggled. "Yep! And just you wait; trap or not, he'll have to run into it sometime" She snapped her fingers, and three dancers appeared. She turned back to Vexen. "Leave Vexen, k? I still have work to do."

Vexen opened a portal, and the soft creep of darkness entered the room. "Whatever you say Larxene. Though be warned."

Larxene looked up at him past the dancers. "Of?"

"The boy. Whether either of you knows it, you are bound to meet sometime in the near future."

"...You've been abusing again, haven't you?"

Vexen blinked. "...Just think on what I said Xena." He stepped into the darkness, letting it swallow him whole.

Larxene lagged a bit, then "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Roxas lay spread-eagled on the cool floor, letting the soft marble etch its calm into his features. He could feel his waking mind raking over each tiny scratch and dent in the seemingly perfect stone. He opened one eye a bit, and then started to move the rest of his body. With a bit of effort, he was up and standing again. He noticed that he was in the same room as before, except for the fact that Axel and Diz had gone.

Though, this room seemed different from the last. He couldn't quite place what was wrong until he looked around. Hidden behind the row of computers was a door. He walked up to the door. Something in him was screaming at him, telling him to open it. _Do it, do it. Open the door. If you open it, we'll be free. You want to be free, don't you Roxas? _He nodded. _Great. So come on, open the door._ Roxas put a hand on one of the door's giant handles.

"But what if?..." _Don't worry about that Roxas. You already know what's out there. You've been here before._

**Flashback**

"I'm sorry Axel," Roxas said as he fell away from those soft parchments that Axel called lips. "but I just can't stay here."

Axel clung to him. "But what will you do, Roxy? You know that he'll never let you go."

Roxas tugged away from Axel. "I know that. But that doesn't change things. Leader or not, my father doesn't rule my life." He turned his back on him. "As for what I'll do? I don't know. Maybe I'll just go so far away that I get lost. That'd be fine with me."

"Roxas..." Axel backed a few steps up. "If you leave, what will I do?"

"...I know it's harsh Axel, but you'll just have to deal with me being gone. There's nothing more for me here, surely you can see that?"

Axel bit his lip, and looked at the ground. "Yeah. Do whatever you want Roxas." He turned away, and the ice from his shoulder flew over Roxas. "Just don't die, okay?"

Roxas smiled. "Yeah, sure Axel."

He started off down the dark street. "You better not die, 'cause I love ya. Got it memorized?"

Roxas waved his hand above his head and kept on walking, searching for that faint glimmer of light at the edge of his vision.

**End Flashback**

"So that's it." he mumbled aloud. That was the reason Axel kidnapped him, right? "Wait a minute, what about my parents? My father's a leader? What about mom?" _In due time Roxas. The first step to getting closer to the truth is to open that door._

Roxas pried the door open a little bit. A soft light drifted into the room. _Go on Roxas, go through the door, you'll find things are different from how you remember_. Roxas finally decided to open the door. He saw an almost completely empty city beyond it. Finding his courage, he stepped through the door, unaware that the voice had neglected to mention that he'd be completely different once he did.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"So, tell me again why you're going to the Colosseum." Sora asked, chewing on a long piece of grass.

"...I've got to meet a friend there; I've got business with her."

Sora grinned. "Never one much for a long answer."

Riku chimed in: "Nor answering questions of any sort."

Leon, Sora, and Riku were traveling along a crudely paved road. Trees littered the landscape around them, as if maintaining the balance between man and nature.

Leon laughed and looked up at the sky. "That's true. Although _she _might tell you different."

Sora was getting a bit annoyed. "Who is this friend? And just what exactly is this business?"

Leon shook his head. "I can't really tell you that. She'd be rather aggravated." He noticed the looks on Sora's and Riku's face. "Okay fine. She works for the Undermarket."

The Undermarket consisted of a series of tubes in the underworld. Sellers with wares too dangerous(or outlawed) sold there merchandise there. Usually, people who worked for the Undermarket were crooks or worse.

"The Undermarket?" Riku exclaimed. "I thought I'd banned that--" Sora clamped his hand around Riku's mouth.

"Like he was saying, I thought the king banned that last year."

Leon raised an eyebrow, then shrugged it off. "I'd heard that he'd set up a massacre of all the people that worked there. Though six months ago, some of the sellers that escaped staged a coup and killed the remaining guards. The Undermarket is now back in business, probably even more so than it was before. And I can only think of one reason for that."

Riku pushed Sora's hand away. "The recent outbreaks of heartless."

Leon nodded. "Right. Apparently, there's now so many heartless that even good natured people have started to deal down there for protective amulets and the like."

Sora kicked a rock off the road, watching as it hit a tree trunk and stuck there. "Which explains your friend, if you don't mind my getting back on topic."

"No problem. And yes, that is why my friend has been dealing down there. She's now gained the trust of many of the sellers, so I can count on her for...certain things."

Riku blinked. "...What is your friends name?"

"That I can't tell you. If you were to be caught by some villainous being, and yes, you do look like the type, it would be bad if you were to spew her name for them to hear."

Riku blinked again. "You have a weird way of saying things."

Sora wrapped his arm around Riku, turning his head to him. "You gotta just get used to it, Riku. People you meet on the road aren't like the people you meet in a small town. Not everyone wants to share their secrets with you." Riku nodded and said 'okay', uncomfortably conscious of how close Sora was to him. He started to squirm after a while, and Sora let him go. Riku noticed Leon's eyes on him. He sent Leon a questioning look, but all he got was a smile before Leon turned away.

"In any case," Leon began, "we've gotta pick up the pace if we want to reach the Colosseum by tomorrow. And I'm pretty sure you're--" he poked Riku in the stomach "--not one much for traveling at night."

Riku glared at him in defiance and held his stomach. "Hey! I can travel twice as far as you in half the time! And I bet I'm stronger than you. In fact, I'll take you on right now huh? No? Well then I automatically win. Hah!" He continued to rant as the trio walked along the road.

Sora glanced at Riku and blushed. _Damn he's cute, _he thought before he focused on walking.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Vexen sat at a large desk, tinkering with a mannequin. A large lamp covered the upper left corner of the desk. At the present moment, he was tapering pants to fit its body, making sure they fit exactly. To him, nothing was more important than having his works be perfect.

Suddenly, he felt a gust a wind hit his back, and a dark tendril whipped past him.

"Vexen." came a voice.

"Yes?" Vexen glanced up from his work to see who called him. "Oh, it's you. Well, come on into the light, Axel."

Axel strode calmly into the center of the room. Vexen's room was parallel to a sealed package. Everything was in its rightful and neat place, and not a single speck of dust littered the morbid tile that stretched from corner to corner.

"I got some great news!" Axel said, throwing his arms out. "And I think you'll _really_ like it this time."

Vexen put down his needle and swiveled his chair to face Axel. "Ok. You've my attention."

Axel noticed the needle and cloth behind Vexen. "Oh? What's that?"

Vexen narrowed his eyes. "First things first, Axel. What is this 'great news'?"

"All right, all right. Well, guess who I got to come back to us?"

Vexen became irritated. "You know very well I don't associate with the rest very often. Just tell me what you've got to say and get out."

"Sheesh. Fine. I got Roxas to come back to this world." Axel sounded triumphant.

"Roxas? That golden-haired boy? Hmmm..." Vexen calmed down. "That is intriguing. Thank you for the news Axel."

"See, I told you you'd like it."

"Yes. Now, I really must get back to my work."

Axel peeked around Vexen and smirked. "So you've decided to build him? Things _are_ gonna get interesting."

Vexen pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just get out." He pointed to a portal in the corner of the room.

Axel shrugged. "You still work for me though, got it memorized?"

Vexen nodded, and Axel disappeared through the portal. Once he was gone, Vexen went back to his work. He began to stitch a name on the inside of the thigh of the mannequin.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Well....Bleh!! Bleh, Bleh, Bleh!!! I hate school Drama. And stupid memorizing lines. And the fact that my birthday was Saturday.(okay, well, that was a good part.)

Anyway, sorry for the wait guys. I really am very sorry. My profile can explain me though. ~hides behind profile~ I'll really try to write more on the weekends, I was having a bit of writers block though. I'm happy how this chapter turned out though. But now I have to call Larxene Xena every time I write her in this story. That's just funny. Oh, and don't tell my parents I got on the computer on a Monday. They'd kill me.


End file.
